


Colds and Cookies

by zimothy (orphan_account)



Series: Sound of Silence [2]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Cochlear Implant, Deaf Character, Fluff, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-25
Updated: 2012-01-25
Packaged: 2017-10-30 03:08:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/327098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/zimothy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik's not very tolerable when he's sick, but Charles happens to have extensive patience.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Colds and Cookies

Erik pursed his lips, grunting under his breath with a cough. He pulled his hands up from under his comforter, the fingers on his right hand curled and tapping against his palm with a twisting motion.

Charles stared blankly back at him, lips pursing thinner and thinner. "I'm not making you cookies, Erik. You're sick."

Erik's middle finger came into play and Charles heaved a painstaking sigh. He brought his hand up, covering Erik's rude gesture and dragging his clammy palm closer to kiss the knuckles.

"Let me see what we have in the pantry."

Erik's return smile was a bit too smug for Charles' liking, but he leaned forward to press his lips against Erik's forehead nonetheless. "Mmm, you've got a fever." Charles murmured into Erik's skin, turning so that his cheek was pressed against Erik's. Erik cleared his throat of mucus, sniffling and leaning up to kiss the edge of Charles' jaw. Charles brought up a hand, running it up and down Erik's throat.

"How's the throat, by the way? Do you need more lozenges?" He pressed gently against the skin, feeling for swelling as Erik gave a pained swallow and a nod. Charles sighed and Erik's hand shakily came up to make a swiping motion of the flat of his palm across his mouth - the sign for 'better'.

"That's good." Charles said quietly, brushing a few locks of sweat-damp hair from Erik's face before standing, "I'll see what we have in the kitchen - you get some sleep." As Charles stepped back, Erik reached out to grab his wrist. Charles paused, watching Erik's hands shakily curling Charles' ring and middle finger down to his palm before kissing them and then nuzzling against the impromptu hand sign. Charles smiled, keeping the sign and using his thumb to stroke Erik's cheek.

"I love you as well, now sleep while I make you something to eat."

Erik pulled his hands away, sniffling and kissing Charles' hand one last time as he signed 'cookies' insistently. Charles gave him an exasperated look, shook his head, and left the bedroom.

Charles came back not much later, a plastic blue cup in one hand (with a bendy straw sticking over the rim) and a bowl in the other. Erik set down the remote control, face breaking into a smile as he weakly pushed himself back up against his pillows. Coughing, Erik pushed his face into the crook of his elbow when Charles reached his side.

He reached out as Charles set the cup down, taking the bowl from his boyfriend and peering into it. Instead of a handful of cookies, Erik found himself staring blankly at a wiggling, writhing mass of red jello chunks resting in the bowl. He looked up, brows furrowing and lips parting to stare at Charles incredulously.

Charles gave Erik a curious head tilt, pulling a tub of vaporub from his pocket. Erik stared back down at the jello and then leaned to the side to look into the cup that he'd previously thought held milk in it. A glance and a sniff told Erik that it was tea and honey - which wasn't milk. Erik jerked his head back with a scandalized look on his face and an insatiable urge to throw the tea and jello across the room.

Erik set the bowl on his knees, bringing his index finger up to swipe it down his palm and then point to the jello. For good measure, he repeated the sign and pointed to the tea. Charles quirked an eyebrow, uncapping the bottle of Vicks.

"Jello and tea with honey, darling. Surely you haven't become blind as well."

Erik shook his head, signing 'cookies' with his eyebrows raised and head tilted forward - expectant of an explanation. Charles smiled fondly, gesturing for Erik to lie back so he could apply the vaporub to his chest.

"I'm not really sure how to make cookies, I'm afraid. Besides, milk will only make your congestion worse."

Erik's eyes narrowed, palms facing each other as he flicked his middle fingers off of his thumbs before pointing to Charles. Charles, however, laughed and leaned down to press a kiss to Erik's feverish forehead.

"Hate is such a strong word, Erik." He teased, moving the jello out of the way and tugging on Erik's short-sleeve by the hem until it was bunched up under Erik's armpits and collarbone. Erik brought his hands up, ready to make another sign whenever Charles slapped a palmful of the cream onto his chest. He wheezed at the shock of cold and Charles leaned forward and pecked Erik on the lips.

"Don't complain so much. We're trying to make you get better, not make you happy. There's a difference, love." Charles gave Erik good shove, pushing him completely down onto the bed and rubbing the decongestant around. Erik grunted, reaching out to grope for the jello bowl and drag it closer as Charles smeared the cream up through the collar of his shirt to get at his neck and throat before dragging it along his collarbone and down his sternum.

Erik shifted, clearing his throat and wincing at the pain that shot through it. Charles tutted as he pulled away to wipe his hand off on a paper towel that he'd brought along, watching Erik as the other man tugged his shirt down with a grimace.

"I'll bring you some medication when I know you've eaten all of that and had the tea." Charles said, watching Erik set the bowl of jello on his chest and tilt it to peer at the wobbling red dessert. Erik brought his hands forward, curling the fingers of his left hand around the tip of his right index and twisting. He raised his eyebrows, mouthing the word for 'strawberry' with a hopeful look on his face.

Charles glanced at the bowl and then up at the ceiling in an attempt to remember. "Hm? Oh. Either strawberry or cherry... but I think its strawberry."

Erik's expression dropped into a flat look and Charles gave him an innocent shrug. "Don't look at me like that! I was trying to make the food and the tea and I had to call your work and - "

Erik rolled his eyes, reaching into the jello to grab a square and stick it in his mouth. It squished under his tongue, oozing between his teeth as he was hit with a blast of cough-syrupy cherry flavor. He choked, wincing and swallowing the mouthful as Charles continued to ramble incessantly about how busy he was today. A second bite was delayed by a violent coughing fit - one that had Erik wheezing for breath near the end of it as Charles rubbed his back soothingly.

"We should probably take you to a physician..." Charles said quietly. Erik shook his head, mouth opening to protest and croaking in the sheer pain that was in his throat. He made a pinching motion with the first two fingers of his right hand against his thumb, head shaking once more to try and convey to Charles how much he did not want to waste money on a doctor.

"Erik, I'm serious. Your cough is getting worse and you haven't been sleeping well, and I know..." All noises ceased when Erik flipped off his implant, catching Charles' eyes widening at the action before his face took on a disgruntled look. Erik took another, more exaggerated bite of his jello, swishing it around his mouth and crushing it to a goop so that when he swallowed, it went down with little pain. Charles grabbed the cup of tea, signing for Erik to drink it while pushing the cup against his mouth.

Erik took two sips, begrudgingly, before returning to his sub-par jello. Charles patted his thigh and left, coming back with a handful of pills a moment later that Erik took without much argument. Charles nudged and pushed at Erik's legs until he was under the comforter, switching on the box fan in the corner, the humidifier, and the ceiling fan before returning to Erik's side and checking his temperature.

Scowling, Charles pulled his hand back, palm forming a 'c' shape and curling away from his mouth in a downward sweep. 'Hot.' Charles signed as Erik nibbled on the last of his jello, pointing at him and then bringing his hand up to lay his cheek on it in the sign for 'sleep.'

Erik huffed, sniffling and coughing while Charles took away the empty jello bowl and set it aside before kissing the corner of Erik's mouth. Erik grunted, squeaking and struggling to speak while Charles gave him an expectant look as he stood. He didn't know how he sounded - but it sure felt ridiculous.

"I luh-" Erik winced, shaking his head and swallowing despite the pain it caused, and brought up his hands to cross his arms over his chest in an 'x' shape and then point to Charles. Charles smiled, pinky and thumb sticking out as he swayed his hand back and forth between the two of them, letting Erik know that the feeling was mutual.

Charles slipped out of the room after that, allowing Erik to curl up in bed as the medication started to work its way into his system.

Erik woke much later, with the room darkened by late afternoon and his body covered in a thick layer of sweat that made the sheets stick to him. He squirmed, swallowing tentatively and sighing when it didn't make him writhe in agony to do so. Turning his head to the side, Erik searched the night stand for his phone and froze upon catching sight of a small package of white macadamia nut cookies that must have come from the bakery down the road.

Sitting up wearily, Erik reached out to pull the cookie package into his lap and open it. He sniffed, hoping to catch a whiff of how fresh they were - only to realize his nose had completely stuffed up during his sleep.

Shrugging, he bit down on the first one, croaking an almost-moan of delight and shoving the rest of it completely into his mouth. He glanced up, seeing Charles in the doorway, and flicked on his implant.

"Feeling better?" Charles asked softly as soon as he caught the movement, smiling. Erik returned the expression, biting into another cookie and nodding. Charles crossed over to the bed, reaching out to check Erik's temperature and then kiss his sweat-cooled forehead.

"Excellent." Charles said happily, eyebrows rising up into his hairline when Erik lifted a cookie up to his mouth. Red lips parted as Charles took a nicely portioned bite, chewing with pleased look on his face. Erik leaned up, licking a kiss to the corner of Charles' mouth and snatching up a few crumbs and a smear of macadamia. Charles huffed, laughing and pushing at Erik's collarbone.

"Oh no you don't, I'll not have you getting me sick after I've spent all day taking care of you." Charles chided, plucking the cookie from Erik's hand to finish eating it. Erik wrapped his arms around Charles' stomach, weakly hugging him and trying to tug the smaller man onto the bed.

Charles went willingly, and with a painstaking sigh, flopping across Erik's legs with his mouth stuffed full of macadamia cookie. He glared at Erik, chewing slowly and pressing his hand against Erik's face when he tried to lean in for a kiss.

"Nnnh." Charles grunted, swallowing thickly around hunks of cookie. "Yrr shick!"

Erik pulled Charles' hand out of the way and stole a kiss nonetheless.

Charles didn't try very hard to stop him.


End file.
